At Holy Mass, we often pray as a part of the Penitential Rite, what is called “The Confiteor,” which translates to “I Confess.” The Penitential Rite is prayed right at the start of Mass before entering the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. When entering the Sacred Mystery of the Mass, we must pray for forgiveness for all of our sins. The Confiteor is a general confession and the part when all of our venial sins are forgiven so that we are ready to receive Jesus, our Eucharistic Lord.
However, as an important note, if we have mortally sinned, we must go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), to be absolved of these more serious sins before taking Jesus in Holy Communion.
The Request
When praying the Confiteor, there is something that we request. In exchange, we receive a request as well. We pray, “therefore, I ask Blessed Mary, ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and to you my brothers and sisters to pray for me to the Lord our God.”
Usually, when I pray the Confiteor, I am petitioning for myself and I count on the prayers of Mary, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters. I ask for you to pray for me. But I believe the Holy Spirit is also enlightening me to be true to my words when praying the Confiteor. I am not just asking you to pray for me, but for me to pray for you.
Do I pray for all of those who are in the pews at Mass? For each person praying the Confiteor with me is requesting that I pray for them to the Lord our God. It is not just up to Mary, the Angels, and the Saints. God designed me to take an active role as well.
Me and Jesus
The Confiteor is not just about me, though I often think and act like it is all about me. I strike my breast, saying, “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault…” I recognize that I am coming before the Lord and am confessing my guilt. I focus on my reconciliation with God before proceeding with the Mass.
This focus on myself is usual. Perhaps you have heard of a “Me and Jesus” spirituality, which I totally struggle with. It is a spirituality in which no one else really matters, so long as all is well with me and Jesus. Yet, if we truly know Jesus, we will find that it is not “me and Him,” but “Him and us.” All of us; the whole Church.
It is easy at Mass to focus on myself. But I feel challenged to take a look around—during the Confiteor especially—to pray for all of those present as they have so requested. During the exchange of peace is another good chance to take a look around at all of the people who have asked me to pray for them in the Confiteor. I can give the assurance of my love and prayers for our parishioners during the sign of peace by looking them in the eye and the warmth of my face.
Mass is not about me and Jesus. It is about Jesus and the whole congregation…and even more!
The Communion of Saints
The Communion of Saints is made up of the Church Militant—us on earth, who are still on our journey towards heaven, the Church Expectant—those in purgatory who are awaiting heaven, and the Church Triumphant—the Angels and Saints who are in heaven.
Most tangibly at Holy Mass, we can recognize that we are a part of the Communion of Saints. It is definitely not just me present with Jesus. It is the thousands who are visible and invisible. It is those in heaven and those on their way to heaven.
Therefore, when we say, “I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters…” we are speaking to the whole Communion of Saints.
Us, Our, We
In the Confiteor, we say, “…that I have greatly sinned.” We are not just confessing to God that we have sinned, but we are confessing it to one another. Perhaps this is because Jesus has taught us to pray in this way. A direct prayer from Jesus in the Gospels is the “Our Father.” It is not titled, “My Father,” Or “Your Father.” It is “Our Father, who art in heaven…Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from (evil emphasis added).”
Interestingly, we pray the “Our Father” before we receive Holy Communion. Again, the Mass is not just about “me and Jesus.” When we pray at Mass, we are praying for the Father to give all of us our daily bread. The sins that we confessed in the Confiteor are, in a sense, brought back up to our attention when we say “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Pay attention to all parts of the Mass. Listen to the wording of the Confiteor. What is it you are actually saying? What are the readings about in the Liturgy of Word? Do we realize what we are doing and what our neighbor is doing when we go up for communion during the Liturgy of the Eucharist? We will find that Holy Mass is God coming to all of us, inviting us to actively respond.
4 thoughts on “The Confiteor: Pray for Me to the Lord our God”
Everyone is supposed to admit that they have GREATLY sinned.
What if they haven’t??
One size fits all prayers.
Like during the Mass, lift up your hearts; we lift them up to the Lord. Does anyone really sound like they mean it? Never.
Guy is spot on.
I have no responsibility or duty to confess to my ‘brothers and sisters’. Zero. Absolution for sins does not come by them or through them.
There was nothing faulty with the pre-VII Confiteor. Nothing. As with many of the watered don and changed translations, it is not as powerful.
“Beseech” vs “ask”, is only the beginning.
Dear Mark M, You are spot on! Guy, Texas
The Novus Ordo – whatever it is – deleted some good folks who I add to my confiteor at every mass The original is properly translated as: “I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, and to you, father, that I have sinned exceedingly . . .” “To you father” is included because the priest, and he alone of all those present, stands there in the person of Christ, head of the mystical body. And it is He – not my “brothers and sisters” – and His priest who can absolve me for all my sins. Guy, Texas